New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-06
TIE DAMAGE TO INDUSTRY.

The Interstate Commission continues to lis
ten to appeals and evidence for and against the
suspension Of clauses Of the act in favor OF this
or that company, and it should not be hastily
censurcd for slowness in reaching decisions.
The act imposed n supcrhuman and indeed an
impossible labor upon the members Of this
body. They are required TO master the inf
nilcly complicated relations Of traffic by land
and water over an entire continent and the
abcst railroad men, who devote lives Of unre-
hitting toll TO the study of the business OF n
single important line. find that they always
have something vet TO learn II the Commits
sion attempts to be strictly conscientious, there
is danger that it may never be able to act at
all. If it feels the necessity of acting some
how, without waiting for full knowledge, there
is strong probability that it will make dis
crediting and hurtful mistakes,
But meanwhile the delay does harm. The
Commission cannot be blamed for that and yet
the damage done is not less real and serious.
The act ought TO have provided for a thorough
study Of the conditions affecting ITS enforce
mcnt, for some months at least, and by large
and able commission, prior TO any attempt to
enforce It's provisions. But that was precisely
what the most Jealous advocates of the measure
did not want. The rigid law, they imagined,
would bring about blessed revolution. The
Commission, to which they reluctantly assentcd
only because they could not get the bill passed
without that feature, was empowered to modify
the operation of the law, after investigation.
and it was the evident expectation of the OK
trcmists that the superhuman task imposed
upon that body would render it nearly power
less for "A long time, and leave the act TO
operate for months or years without modlfica-
ton or restraint These expectations are in
part defeated by the decision Of the Commission
to temporarily suspend tho operation of the
act pending further Investigations, and that
decision excitcs the wrath OF men like MIR.
Reagan. But the Commission, in spite of its
best cndcavors, must find its powers limited,
and meanwhile the uncertainty which the act
causes must continue TO do harm in ways
innumerable.
An illustration is given in the official dis
patch from the United States Commercial
Agent at London Ontario, to the Secretary Of
State. He informs the Department thas
Canadian railways cannot yet give through
rate over their own and connecting American
lines and shippers arc consequently unwilling
to let their goods 60 to the frontier, not know
There are now lying here thirty one
cars of single commodity waiting rates over
United States railways, which will probably
be so high that it will be impossible to export
it. In some cases where shipments
have gone out, the rates have been so much
higher than before the passage Of the bill that
they have absorbed all profit, and discouraged
shippers from repeating their consignments
tho increase has been from 20 to 100 per cent
above the old rates. But the effect upon
shipments from Canada TO this country is by
no means the worst of the results from the ACT.
The agent says, respecting our export trade
into Canada, ave last year lost some 10 per
cent of our advantage over England in this
market, and where competition is so keen and
frcights from England and New-Yor so near
the same, and in this the busy season of selling
goods for delivery, we give the Engshman
great advantage over us by his being able to
name the exact rate of freight, while the
American salesman In the present chaotic con-
dition of railway tariffs cannot say whether the
rate on his goods will be 81 or So per 100
pounds. settlement must shortly be arrived
at, or our commerce will receive such damage
that il will take years TO regain the lost